'The Bombay high court on Monday sought to know from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) the estimated time by which trial in the September 2008 Malegaon bomb blast case would be completed... The court asked NIA advocate Sandesh Patil to inform within two weeks till what time the trial is expected to go on and give a schedule, stating by when it will be completed. According to Patil, out of 475 prosecution witnesses, the trial court has till date examined 124 witnesses...'
'Twelve years after a blast ripped apart two coaches of the Samjhauta Express, killing 68, no one has been found guilty of the crime. On March 20, all the accused who faced trial were acquitted by a special court. That includes accused number one, Swami Aseemanand, who had already been acquitted in the Mecca Masjid and Ajmer Sharif blast cases and who now walks free. Handing out the verdict, the special court said the National Investigation Agency had failed to establish the guilt of the accused.
'Police made a huge haul of explosives, including 1.50 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, 2,680 detonators, 1,200 gelatin sticks, 1,200 metres of fuse wire and 180 boosters, from a van and arrested two persons at Atmakur in Kurnool district. An accused in a previous case of seizure of explosives, Aithwa Srinivas, and the van driver Boya Suresh were arrested in vehicle checking on a tip-off, Atmakur DSP K. Supraja told media persons at Atmakur. It is learnt that both the arrested are activists of a radical Hindu outfit...'
'Former Maharashtra inspector general of police SM Mushrif on Thursday described the activists of RSS as 'India's number one terrorist organisation'. Mushrif was quoted saying at an event in Kolkata: “RSS activists have been chargesheeted in at least 13 cases of terror acts in which RDX has been used. If organisations like Bajrang Dal are taken into the account, then the number of such cases goes up to 17.”
The leader: 12 December is the 143rd birth anniversary of Hindutva ideologue BS Moonje. He was the mentor of KB Hedgewar and helped him shape the RSS.
The outfit: Moonje founded the Central Hindu Miltary Education Society which runs the Bhonsala Military School in Nashik. The School was named in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blasts.
More in the story: What is the BJP's view of Moonje? Why associating with Moonje's outfit can harm the BJP? What was Moonje's association with Benito Mussolini?
'A 30-year-old lawyer, among those initially arrested in Malegaon blast case, on Friday deposed before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Panchkula and identified Samjhauta Express blast case prime accused Swami Aseemanand. Sheikh Abdul Khaleem, from Hyderabad, elaborated how Aseemanand confessed before him about the involvement in blasts and apologized before him as he (Abdul ) suffered in jail for one and a half years for the offence not committed by him.
"According to a 2010 report compiled by the Goa police, the Sanatan Sanstha is using a mix of murder, arson, hypnotism and sexual exploitation to build a future Hindu nation... The murder of communist politician Govind Pansare only tops off the list of crimes that the ultra-right organisation Sanatan Sanstha has been accused of. Over the years, that roster has come to include transgressions such as the issue of threats and more dangerously, terror activities such as bomb blasts.
'On Monday, senior journalist Nikhil Wagle allegedly received a death threat from the Sanatan Sanstha. He told PTI that he had received threats of this sort from the organisation in the past. “Four years ago, Abhay Vartak of Sanatan (Sanstha) walked out of a programme I hosted. Even as recently as last week, Sanatan Prabhat (a publication of the outfit) carried an article warning me,” he added...
'The Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the murder of rationalist and Left leader Govind Pansare suspects role of two more Sanatan Sanstha members, who are absconding in connection with the 2009 Madgaon blast, in the case, police sources said on Monday.
"A Dewas court has framed charges against eight people, including 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, in connection with the murder of former RSS 'pracharak' Sunil Joshi... Joshi had been chargesheeted by NIA in connection with 2007 Samjhauta Express train blast case. He was shot dead on December 29, 2007 when he was walking back to his hideout at Chuna Khadan locality in Dewas town of Madhya Pradesh.
